Legislation Introduced to Protect Federal Workers, Despite Mounting Challenges

THE CENTER SQUARE—In an attempt to blunt the Trump administration’s culling of the federal workforce, a group of Democrats in Congress is proposing to protect federal workers despite facing a Republican majority and a recent court ruling in favor of the president.

The Stopping to Efficiently Review Varying Impacts of Cuts to Employment Act—or SERVICE Act—and the Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act have been introduced by Reps. Jennifer McClellan, D-Va.; Jamie Raskin, D-Md.; April McClain Delaney, D-Md.; and Nikema Williams, D-Ga.

The SERVICE Act would “prevent” a federal agency from reducing its workforce by 5% or more within a fiscal year. The legislation would also require agencies to conduct a “full impact analysis” the reduction would have on the agency’s mission, followed by the Government Accountability Office “evaluating the accuracy of that evaluation.”

A second piece of legislation “would amend 5 USC 3101, the general authority provision that allows the government to employ, from a ‘may employ’ to a ‘shall employ,’” by requiring agencies to “justify their inability or refusal to comply with the requirement.”

McClellan, who represents a portion of Virginia’s 144,483 federal civilian workers, according to Congress, says her legislation will protect federal workers.

“The SERVICE Act and the Ensuring Agency Service Quality Act will protect these workers from reckless cuts that undermine critical services and public trust,” she said. “I urge my colleagues to pass these bills to protect our federal workforce and hold this slash-and-burn administration accountable.”

Raskin, who represents a portion of Maryland’s 142,876 federal workers, has been a leading Democratic critic of the Trump administration in the House of Representatives and took aim at President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their attempts to reduce the federal workforce.

“President Trump and Elon Musk continue their shocking assault on federal workers by sacking food safety inspectors, air traffic controllers, cancer researchers and park service rangers,” said the congressman. “DOGE is a demolition crew dismantling the critical services American families rely on.” 

DOGE is the acronym for the Department of Government Efficiency, created by Trump and led by Musk.

Despite the lawmakers’ attempts to create hurdles for the Trump administration’s plans to reduce the federal workforce, the legislation faces the challenge of a majority in the chamber.

Even if the bills succeed by gaining enough votes to veto-proof the legislation, the Trump administration would likely point to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming the executive branch’s power to terminate some federal workers.

The Supreme Court blocked a federal judge in California’s order trying to force the Trump administration to reinstate 16,000 terminated federal probationary workers.

Originally published by The Center Square

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